As beautiful as it is, we used to see glowing waves, or scientific term bioluminescence waves, in Corpus Christi & Padre Island. They usually appear summer into early October. Not every year either. Most of the times we saw this cool looking glowing blue waves were McGee beach, also north beach and Padre Island. On Padre we would stand in the small lapping waves of this plankton under the JFK Causeway, or just to east of the bridge on east side while fishing. I have a lot of fishing weights from Cages, Woolco & Gibsons hanging from the telephone wires there if anyone wants to cut them down, some good 2-3 oz lead weights and hooks!
The glowing waves as pretty as they are, not good to swim in, it is red tide people duh. During day looks sort of brownish color. Seen fish kills also because of it. Swimming is safe for most people. However, the red tide can cause some people to suffer skin irritation and burning eyes. People with respiratory illness may also experience respiratory irritation in the water.Use common sense. Sort of like the flesh eating bacteria stuff out there, we didn't have crap like that in 1960s/70s you know.
But there is a certain peacefulness to the glowing blue water. I can tell you no matter what part of Corpus Christi or Padre Island I saw it, even on Padre Island 4-5 miles west of Bob Hall Pier in pitch blackness, just brings a nice calm seeing it knowing it would not be seen again that year, maybe not next year, so sort of enjoyed it.
The best area to me was where the fishing weights ended up on telephone linejust east of Intercoastal waterway, east side. Why? The waves are small, gentle, and lapping for lack of better word. Could see them even if in water, around feet. We used to take a gig, many times homemade broomstick with long nail, and flashlight into this area, and look for pair of eyes looking back up at you in sand, we caught a lot of flounder like this gigging them some big foot long fellows, damned good eating, not sure if they full of plankton or not glowing fish like The Simpsons three headed fish.
PHOTOS: Photo #1. How can you not have a deep feeling of peace admiring God's handiwork looking at glowing blue waves, stars & planets, some known, others unknown above in heavens. The only thing that could ruin this would have a catfish or gafftop, maybe croaker on your fishing line.
Photo #2. While most will tell you to stay out of water when plankton blooms occur, some like everything in life, ignore it, especially if 'huge surf' 3 rows at 3 feet on Padre. I don't know one person who has ever gotten sick from glowing waves. I wonder how many people remember the weatherman who used to give "Surf Report" during weather in Corpus Christi?
Photo #3. The world's most famous plankton, uh, Sheldon J. Plankton from the Spongebob Squarepant's show, fixing to cause some massive glowing blue wave here in Bikini Bottom.